John Szklinski, whose departure last year as superintendent at Southern Hills led to the hiring of Myers, is now at Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club, completing a restoration of the course that will host the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur. He struggled with his decision to leave Southern Hills less than a year before this year's PGA.
"It was a great opportunity in Charlotte," Szklinski says. "It not only benefited my career, it benefited my family. It was a decision based upon love."
MISSING IN ACTION
Among those not able to join Myers' volunteer pool at this year's PGA Championship is Candice Combs, superintendent of the South Course at San Diego's Torrey Pines. She'll become the first female superintendent to handle a major championship when Torrey Pines hosts the U.S. Open next year, but because she's technically not the head superintendent, it's a distinction that might carry an asterisk.
Her boss, the head man, is Mark Woodward, who started at Torrey Pines in early 2005, after his term as president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America ended. He's now the Golf Operations Manager for all of San Diego's municipal courses.
Woodward has never volunteered at a major, although he and Combs have been to tournaments to observe operations. Woodward is busy organizing his volunteer crew for 2008, arranging for discount housing and finding companies to donate meals. He plans to adopt conditions very similar to the Latshaw Rules for volunteers and suspects some of Latshaw's fraternity will sign up.
Paul Latshaw recalls that during the '97 Open, one superintendent from a big-time club overslept one morning and had to hitchhike from the housing complex to Congressional. He showed up hours late, tears rolling down his cheeks, begging forgiveness for having let Latshaw and the team down.
Such is the sense of obligation felt by most volunteer-superintendents.
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